Hub.



BATENTED OCT. 16, 1906.

I. H. MORSE.

HU'B.

APPLIGATION FILED N013. 1904. nnxnwnn 10mm, 1905.

FRANK H. MoRsa'oFjRocKFoRD, ILLINOIS.

' HUB.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application filed November 3, 1904. Renewed November 18, 1905 Serial No. 288.062.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK H. MoRsE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rockford, in the county of VVinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented cerin Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows an outer end View of the outer shaft end and its arms seen in the d1rect1on of the arrow 3- in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the face-plate E of the outer end of the hub in plan view.

Like reference-letters denote like parts throughout. i

The object of my invention is to roduce an automobile-wheeljhub and whee which shall respond quickly and easily to the action of the steering-wheel, and thereby give easier and greater control over such vehicles. To attain said desirable .ends, I construct my said new device in substantially the following manner, namely:

In the drawings the axle-tube (shown at A) forms a part of the vehicle-frame, within which revolves the wheel-driving shaft H. Spreading arms B, one vertically above the other, are secured to the outer ends of said tube, and their outer free ends enter into a short hollow steering-axle C, pivoted to the ends of said arms, as shown. Said axle C 1s provided with a steering-arm C, extending its place on said axle, and face-plate E, secured by screw-bolts to the outer end (1 of the hub D, provided with a central hole e having corres onding sides parallel to the sides of the s aft end F, which enters said hole in a close fit, but which still permits free reciprocal motion to the shaft in said plate.

Said shaft end F and hole in said plate are preferably of four-sided polygonal form.

The 0 posit-e or inner end of the shaft F'is provi ed with a pair of arms F, which emrace the opposite sides of an articulator or block G and are secured thereto by pivots or pivot-screws, as shown, and a similar pair of arms H, set in a plane at right angles to the plane of the arms F and forming a part of one end of the shaft H, also reach over the face of said block and are secured to it by pivot-screws, which thus forms the wellnown universal joint which articulates on a plane transverse to the axis of the shaft H, and which (said plane) is situated in the axis of the four Epivot-screws shown in the ends of the arms and H and which (said plane) is made to coincide with the central plane of the Wheel on said hub, and said wheel plane is furthermore to coincide with the axes of the pivots which connect the hub C to. the arms B, whereby is obtained an easy and perfect control of every wheel provided with this hub mechanism.

A nut f on the end of the shaft Fan-d set on its shoulder f leaves a short space for playroom for said shaft between said nut and the face-plate E. I l

The axial revolution of the shaft H is transmitted to the part of shaft F by means of the intervening universal joint here shown, and the shaft F revolves the plate E, which is fastened to the hub D, and said hub D rotates on the short axle C on the ball-bearings (Z, said hub and axle-bearing connected and held together as shown here or held in any other suitable manner.

As the lon itudinal adjustment of the ba-llrequire as indicated by the short space between the face-plate and the nut j Said freedom of longitudinal adjustment of the face-plate on said shaft also affords the '0 port-unity for whatever short reciprocab e motion there may be required by the revolution of the universal joint Whenever a wheel is turned or steered in an angle to the direction of mot-ion, whereby in both cases is given relief to all strain there might occur to any of said parts.

The outer end of the steering-axle C is screw-threaded, and on it is mounted a cone IIO hallway a and it is pushed a held to its place by means of a pair of threaded adjust lug-rings d d, which are locked to place by screws (1 in the following -mannernamely, the inner ring 61 is screwed to its desired place against the cone-ring d and is[followed y its locking-rill d. Said rings are provided with screws of which the spacing coincides axially, which necessarily separates said rings unless when-the one is driven on the othemthe screw-holes happen to coincide; otherwise said rings are separate. Said threaded adjusting rings d d are then pressed toward each other by means of said screws (1 whereby is secured a pressure and friction on the threads of said ring which thereby locks them to their place.

What I claim is l. The combination with an armed axletube and-an armed steering-axle pivoted to said arms, of a hub on said axle, a face-plate on said'hu'b, a polysided opening in said plate, a correspondingly-sided shaft in said opening, means to limit the longitudinal motion of said shaft in said plate, a universal joint to said shaft, said joint centered in the central wheel plane, and a driving-shaft to said joint.

2. The combination with an armed'axletube and an armed steering-axle pivoted to said arms, of a hub on said axle, a face-plate on said hub, a polysided opening in said plate, a corres ondingly-sided shaft in said opening, a should tween said plate and nut, a universal joint to said shaft, and a driving-shaft to said joint.

3. The combination with a hollow twoarmed axle-tube, and an armed steeringaxle, pivoted on said arms, of a hub with a face-plate, a polysided oplening in said plate, a correspondingly-sided s aft in said opening, said shaft reciprocable in said opening and extending beyond the face of said plate, a nut on said shaft and a universalioint and a driving-shaft to said shaft.

4; The combination with an axle-tube and a threaded steering axle ivoted to said tube, a hub and ballways and alls on said axle, a face-plate on said hub, a polysided opening in said plate, a correspondingly-sided shaft in said opening, and a universal joint to said shaft, of locking mechanism, relatively adjustable, to lock the hub to said axle.

In witness whereof I have signed the above application for Letters Patent, at Rockford, in the county of Winneba o and State of Illinois, this 31st day of Octo er, A. D. 1904.

FRANK H. MORSE.

W'it-nesses WILLIAM W. BENNETT, R. W. KING.

er and a nut on said shaft, a space be- 

